According to Wednesday’s release, the manifesto outlines “core principles that define the 125-year-old art school and map out a path for its future.”

The province has been pressing the university to get its finances in order. A government-commissioned report released more than a year ago pinned the university’s debt at $19 million.

Much of the blame for the school’s money troubles has been traced to a loan taken out to construct a campus on the Halifax waterfront on which the university still owes about $9 million.

“It’s no coincidence that the financial crisis at NSCAD came to a head after years of consecutive budget cuts by the provincial NDP government,” Elise Graham, chairwoman of the Nova Scotia branch of the Canadian Federation of Students said in the release.

“NSCAD is a pillar of the Nova Scotia arts community and brings students and faculty from across the country and around the world to Halifax. This government needs to recognize the unique nature of a studio-based arts education and fund it appropriately.”

According to the release, NSCAD receives less funding per student than other universities receive for students in theatre, drama, music and journalism.

NSCAD must show the province a long-term plan detailing how it will achieve financial stability by March 31.

A year ago, the Labour and Advanced Education Department received a sustainability plan that called for fewer faculty and staff, higher tuition, program reviews and possible affiliation with Dalhousie University or Saint Mary’s University.

A study that will look at how partnerships with either Dalhousie or Saint Mary’s universities might work is slated to begin shortly.